Story Ideas
Regular Sections or Columns World News. A short paragraph for each of 4-5 major news events around the world. Make sure writer cites where they got their information from. Campus News. '''Similar to world news but for the Rollins campus. Include short blurbs on 4-5 news events on campus that may not warrant an entire article or did not get covered by a reporter. '''Sexperts. A sex column discussing various aspects of relationships and sex on a college campus. Free Food Calendar. A weekly update on dates, times, and locations where free food can be found on campus that week. Fashion column. Very popular at other campuses, a column about Rollins fashion trends with pictures of students who have great outfits and/or explorations of different students’ closets. Often creates a broader readership. Sports page. Especially if there are no sports articles, a regular page featuring last week’s games scores, the dates and times of upcoming games (particularly those on campus), and a photo or two. News/Features Topics A Day in the Life of the College President *Follow the college president around for a day and give the readers an idea of what their job entails. *Make a “where is PDunc” section of the paper saying where the college President is that week. Admission Rates *How have the number of applicants and admission rates changed over the past 5 or 10 years? *Has it become easier or harder to get in? *What percentage of accepted students actually enroll? *How is the waiting list for Rollins handled? Animals at Rollins *Squirrels *Cats Book Fines *Where does the money go from book fines? *What is the most common book to go unreturned? Childhood memories/Homesickness/Family *How do students bring their childhood/home with them to college? *How often do students call home? *1 in 10 individuals under 25 will lose a parent by their 25th birthday. What is this like for students on campus? Clothing: '''What is appropriate clothing to wear to class? '''Dance Marathon *Sync the DJ’s playlist to the website *Update website with hourly photo galleries. *Ask people participating: would you rather be having sex right now or have a shower? (Ask each hour and record how numbers change.) *Include a live video feed. Disability Access *How does Rollins accommodate students with disabilities? *What do you need to qualify as having a disability? Diversity questions: '''about students, faculty, staff, characters in assigned books, majors, buildings named after people, etc. '''Financial Aid *How many students receive financial aid? How much does the average student receive? How does that compare with past years? *How much debt does the average student graduate with? *What students have work study hours? How many? What do those different jobs entail? Food *Does food at Rollins cost more or less than other schools? *Why does Rollins have a debit-card system instead of an all-you-can-eat meal plan? *Why does Rollins use Sodexo? *How are the workers treated/paid? *How do prices of food on-campus compare to buying food off-campus? *Do C-Store prices compare to the prices of Publix or Walmart? *What is it like to be a vegetarian at Rollins? A vegan? Gluten-free? To have food allergies? *How much money do students waste each year? What happens to that money? *What is the money that students pay for in their meal plan—but does not go to the students debit-card system—cover? *How much money does Rollins make off of vending machines? *Would students rather eat lunch alone or skip a meal entirely? Graduation Rates *How long does it take the average student to graduate from Rollins? *How many students graduate in 4, 5, or 6 years? *How many 5th or 6th year seniors are currently at Rollins? *How do those rates vary by race, gender, or major? *How do those rates compare to national rates? Hot Majors *What are the most popular majors? *How do they compare to the most popular majors 10 years ago? *How do they mesh with the current job market? Hygiene: '''How many students do not shower? '''International Students *How many students are from other countries? What countries do most international students come from? *What is their process for adjusting to Rollins? What is international orientation like? Is it helpful? *How are these students recruited to Rollins? Why do they come here? *Do these students pay more money? *Are international students more or less academically-qualified than in-state students? *Has it gotten harder for in-state or international students to get in? *At what moment does Rollins become in charge of international students? At the airport? When they get to campus? If not at the airport, how do these students get to campus? Married Couples at Rollins *Are there any married couples attending Rollins right now? *Are they allowed to live together? Money: How much money are you losing every time you skip a class? Out-of-state Students: '''How many students are actually from Florida? What other states does Rollins attract? Are there any states that Rollins does not have students from? '''Porn: '''Can the IT department track how much porn is being watched on the campus network? '''Profiles: '''athlete, student, class, major, professor, staff member, administrator '''Research Funding *Which college or department or professor brings in the most research money? *Where does the money come from? Reviews: '''CDs, bands, concerts, movies, television, beaches, clubs, bars, restaurants '''Rising Costs: How much has tuition increased this year? In the last five years? The last ten? Has the amount of financial aid increased at the same rate? How does this compare to other colleges? Security & Safety *How long does it take for a student to get into every residence hall on campus without an ID? *How often is the blue lights system used? How much does the school pay for the system? Where do the calls go? *Are the fire extinguishers on campus expired? *Are the elevators on campus expired? How often do they break? Sports for Fun: '''What non-competitive sports teams exist on campus? (Quidditch, fly fishing, Frisbee, football) '''Super Seniors *Are there any students who could graduate but stick around to take more courses? *Does Rollins do anything to push these students to graduate? Tenure & Professor Levels *How are professors approved for tenure? *What does it mean to be “tenured”? *What are the different levels of professors? What do they mean? *What happens if someone is not approved for tenure? *Do certain departments have more or less tenured professors? What does this mean? Textbooks: Bookstore vs. Amazon *Do more students rent or buy books? *Where can students get the cheapest prices? *How many students do not buy or rent textbooks at all? *How many students who rent books don’t return them? *How much can students get for selling books back? *What majors pay the most/least for textbooks? Thirsty Thursdays: feature a different drink or bar each Thursday Transfer Students *How many students transfer out of Rollins? What is that process like? *How many students transfer into Rollins? What is that process like? What do students in a transfer RCC do? *Do transfer students graduate at the same rate as non-transfer students? *How many students enter Rollins with an Associate's degree? Do they graduate any faster than non-transfer students? Unusual/Popular Courses *What’s the most popular course at Rollins? *What new, unusual courses are being offered this and next semester? *What departments offer the most unique courses? Winter Park Institute *What do WPI speakers request when visiting campus? Has anyone made any ridiculous requests? *Who do students want to see? *Why isn’t any of this money spent on a commencement speaker? Without an R-Card: '''How easy or difficult is it to survive on campus for a day/week without spending any of your own money or meals on food or items? Can you convince other people (sometimes strangers) to cover for you? Evergreen Specific Story Ideas '''News *Public Satety Incident Log (print paper) (Ithacan) *In addition to "World News" The Ithican has a "College and City" section with similiarly sized-blurbs Opinions *"Snap Judgement" section where random students are asked a question and their photo and quotes appear in the paper Features *Homeschooled Students at Rollins - What is it like for students who were homeschooled all their lives to attend college? *World Flags in Campus Center - What do the flags represent? Are they ever removed or changed? *History of specific campus buildings *Names of campus buildings - who are they named after? *How did Rollins come to be founded in Winter Park? Why here? Who first planned the design of campus? *Public Transportation Options in central Florida *Survellance Cameras on Campus--where are they and what do they cover or not cover? *Financial Literacy *Career Plans - resume tips, networking *Faculty/Staff Contracts *Veterans on campus *SGA - what do they do and what can they do *CFAM - how do they select exhibits? *CDC - whose children are there, what do they do, what benefits does CDC bring Rollins? *Honors Program - how do students get in, what do they do differently? Do students enjoy it? *Disabled Students (physical) - how easy is it to get around campus? Any places particularly difficult? *Local/State Elections - who is running and what should students know about them *How many students use the library late at night? *How much do President Duncan/other administrators/faculty make? *Success of dual or triple majors *How much does Rollins receive in donations? Arts and Entertainment *Student bands/performers *Movie times for Regal